making news this thursday morning, fading fast. >> the plunging popularity of newt gingrich in iowa. falling 20 points in 20 days. can he stop it? and can anyone stop mitt romney? the looming threat of $5 a gallon gasoline, as iran boasts about blocking a critical oil route. and the broomstick brawl inside a church. clergymen clash at the birthplace of jesus. and a very good thursday morning to you. i'm dan koeffler. >> and i'm sunny hostin. the front-runner curse strikes again. >> it certainly does. days ago, newt gingrich was the man with the momentum in iowa.

now, he is locked in a battle for third. >> for all the candidates, it will be another day of frantic campaigning, with the caucuses now just five days away. >> the clock certainly ticking. abc's tahman bradley tracking all of them now. all of the developments from washington this morning. tahman, what is the latest? >> reporter: good morning, dan and sunny. mitt romney will spend today and tomorrow in iowa, arguing why he is the most electable republican. and he can't think of a reason why he won't win the state. it's been a campaign of ups and downs in iowa, with a number of candidates looking like they've been anointed. but now, it seems mitt romney is the person to beat. for a while, romney thought about skipping the iowa caucuses. not anymore. >> i'm running for president. if you get a chance to caucus, remember the name mitt romney. thank you. >> reporter: romney is benefiting from the remarkable collapse of the gingrich campaign. according to a new cnn/"time" magazine poll, romney tops the field in the hawkeye

state with 25%. ron paul comes in second with 22%. and rick santorum has surged to third place, with 16%. now, in fourth place, newt gingrich, who, just three weeks ago, topped the field. >> i'll be the nominee. >> reporter: gingrich and romney are now dealing with a threat from the right. first, former pennsylvania senator, rick santorum, who has been winning over conservatives, spending more time in iowa than his opponents. >> you feel good about how things are going. >> reporter: then, there's texas congressman, ron paul. >> something has to change. something will change. >> reporter: who has a strong organization in iowa. and got a boost from state senator kent sorensen, an influential tea party figure. left michele bachmann's campaign to sign up for team paul. >> i think there's clearly two tiers of candidates. i think ron paul is in that top tier. and i'm here to help him. >> reporter: michele bachmann says that ron paul would be a dangerous president. and jon huntsman called him unelectable. sunny and dan? >> wow. definitely a war of words going

on there, tahman. all right. so, turning to romney now. if he wins iowa, how would that shape this whole nomination fight? >> reporter: a victory for romney in iowa would be huge. keep in mind that he has almost a 30-point lead in new hampshire, the next state to vote. and iowa voters, the caucusgoers there are very conservative. and the romney campaign would love to show he has patched up problems among conservatives in the republican party. and make it seem as though there's a steady drumbeat to the nomination. and that romney is the inevitable nominee. >> days to go. tahman bradley, thank you for that report this morning. also this morning, the u.s. sending a strong message to iran, on its threat to blockade a critical shipping channel. about 15 million barrels of oil pass through the strait of hormuz every day. and any disruption would be felt here at home. abc's cecilia vega explains what exactly is at stake.

>> reporter: any attempt by the iranians to shut down the strait of hormuz could send oil and gas prices skyrocketing in this country. 20% of the oil travels through that vital waterway. just 20 miles wide and right in iran's backyard. their navy chief said, on iranian tv, closing the strait of hormuz would be easier than drinking a glass of water. and if they follow through on that threat, experts predict higher prices at the pump. >> by summertime, we could be upwards of $5. >> reporter: that's having a profound effect on this nation's already fragile economy. money for things like restaurants, vacations and trips to the mall, would, instead, go straight to the gas tank. the u.s. is responding forcefullywing the u.s. navy vowing that any disruption will not be tolerated. this eased concerns in the oil markets. but with america and iran facing off in these troubled waters, nothing is certain. >> if the iranians actually

attempted to shut down the strait of hormuz, it would be like saying please, attack me. it would be an act of war. >> reporter: even if the strait remains open, new u.s. sanctions are about to be imposed on countries that trade with iran. those sanctions will make it difficult for other countries to buy iranian oil, possibly increase gas prices around the world. while oil prices do not immediately rise, experts are telling us that just the threat alone could be enough to send gas prices skyrocketing by as much as 50 cents a gallon. cecilia vega, abc news, washington. in contrast to yesterday's weeping and wailing, north koreans observed three minutes of silence in memory of the late kim jong-il this morning. the massive gathering today marked the second day of funeral ceremonies. the dictator's son and successor, kim jong-un, was declared the scream supreme leader of north korea. a story out of kyrgystan. a jet with around 70 people onboard skidded off the runway

and flipped over. a fire seriously charred the fuselage. but stunningly, no one died in the wreck. and only about one-third of those onboard were injured. here at home, a military jet crash three years ago has resulted in a nearly $18 million award for one family. four members of that family died when a marine corps fighter went down in a san diego neighborhood. mechanical failure and human error both to blame for that crash. a federal judge ordered the government to pay that family after it sued for emotional and monetary lost. 3 tennessee miners have been rescued after a fire dropped them 800 feet underground. that fire broke out on a drill rig in knoxville. the miners were in contact with officials. but thick smoke prevented them from leaving a safe area. it took rescuers, in all, three hours to eventually get them out. >> could have been a tragedy. >> yeah. safe recovery and return to them. now, for the weather from across the nation. a stormy day in the northwest. drenching downpours and flooding from seattle to portland.

up to a foot of snow in the cascades and northern rockies. rainy from boise to salt lake city and billings. a rain/snow mix through the dakotas, minneapolis, chicago and detroit. >> just 30 in fargo. 33 in the twin cities. 53 in omaha. mostly 50s across the rockies and the pacific northwest. phoenix, you're going to climb to 71. sacramento, at 64. middle 30s in the northeast. and 60s from new orleans all the way to dallas. well, coming up, detecting cancer with just your breath. >> an amazing breakthrough here. then, the latest honda recall. the car giant doing something it has never done before. and a lineman on the oregon football team, getting set for the rose bowl, stops to save a life. s>@@q

and welcome back, everyone. bp employees could be facing criminal charges for last year's massive gulf oil well explosion and spill. "the wall street journal" says company engineers allegedly lied to regulators about the risks of drilling before the deepwater horizon well blew, killing 11 people and causing that worst offshore oil spill in u.s. history. well, honda is taking an unusual step. it's telling its dealers to stop selling used cars. the automaker's recall for a faulty air bag in older vehicles keeps expanding. the problem is bad parts that were used in repairs. and honda isn't sure which vehicles have them. the rest of the auto industry, though, having a very good year. sales of nearly 13 million vehicles are expected. the best year, in fact, since 2008.

analysts expect sales to continue to increase next year, in fact. chrysler, hyundai, and kia are all doing especially well this month. overseas markets are down slightly this morning. tokyo's nikkei average dropped 25 points today. hong kong's hang seng lost 121 points. in london, the ftse opened just slightly lower. on wall street, the dow fell 140 points yesterday. the nasdaq index was off 35. and the tally for the top concert tours is in. u2 was the top touring band, with $232 million in sales. second was take that, with $224 million, after reuniting with frontman robby williams. bon jovi third, with $149 million. >> bono singing "a beautiful day," to those numbers. >> that's right. >> that's some serious cash. coming up next on this thursday, the latest bowl game results. plus, we're not complaining. but many of us are asking, where's the snow? >> we are.

and the hunt for answers in florida, after a human leg washes ashore. the details coming up. what's better than gold ? free gold ! we call that hertz gold plus rewards. you earn free days, free weeks and more fast. that's a plus. upgrade your ride. that's a plus. rewards with no blackout dates so you can redeem anytime. our points online. easy to redeem your points online. already a gold member ? just select gold plus rewards in your profile and start rewarding yourself now. just go to hertzgoldplusrewards.com to join. hertz gold plus rewards. journey on.

welcome back, everyone. checking the roads this thursday morning. heavy rainmaking for a slippery ride on i-5, from seattle to portland. snow and ice on parts of i-15, 25 and 90 in washington state. and the northern rockies. also, slick from the dakotas on to michigan. >> if you're flying, airport delays are possible in seattle, portland, minneapolis, detroit and boston. the snow, hitting the northwest today, not nearly enough, though, to measure up to seasons in the past. >> yes. many ski resorts are covered in more brown than white, as unseasonably warm weather turns what should have been snow into rain. here's clayton sandell. >> reporter: remember the blizzards of 2010?

they're a distant memory. in boston last year, they had so much snow, they blew their snow removal budget by $9 million. this year, they've hardly touched a penny. no snow may be good for city budgets. but businesses that rely on it n are feeling the pain. in spokane, washington, private snow plow companies are losing money. >> it's been pretty light. we haven't been doing much. >> reporter: across the west, ski resorts are suffering. snowpack in utah is down 50%. >> i thought, this looks a lot like it does during the summer. >> reporter: and with less of the white stuff, there's less of the green stuff. here at california's mt. baldy ski area, half the ski runs are closed. if you don't get that big storm, which opens things up, how many jobs are we talking about? >> we employ up to 150 at full operation. >> reporter: and in minnesota -- >> beautiful weather out here. my first time ever golfing in minnesota in december. >> reporter: winter enthusiasts can take heart. forecasters say we could still get a snowmageddon or two. it's those extreme weather events that can quickly turn

your winter from conditions like this into something a lot more like this. >> the winter is young. and we certainly think that the cold and the snow is going to return for a good part of the country. >> reporter: that's either good news or bad news. all depending on whether more snow makes you money or costs you money. clayton sandell, abc news, los angeles. police in st. petersburg, florida, are searching for more clues after a grisly discovery there. a woman's leg washed ashore this week. they are hoping to find clothing, other body parts, that might shed a little bit of light on this person's identity. they're also comparing dna from that leg with the missing person's database. there's a deepening medical mystery over bacteria that's been making infants sick. an oklahoma baby is the third infant this month, sickened by the bacteria sometimes associated with powdered infant formula. a baby in missouri died. and a chicago area baby went to

the hospital and recovered. many stores pulled enfamil as a precaution. but the oklahoma baby was not given the formula. doctors have come up with a new way to detect lung cancer. it is from a special breath test. it analyzes the metabolic signature we give off when we exhale. researchers at the cleveland clinic says the method is, in fact, 80% accurate. they're hoping to develop a low-cost breath cast that would combine with a c.a.t. scan and would distinguish between be23450i7b and malignant tumors. time for sports and a couple of close games from last night. we get the details from espn news. >> i'm bernardo osuna, with your espn update. dwyane wade and lebron james feeling it. but also, chris bosh takes a feed from wade, with the big slam. 80-79 heat.

14 of its 29 points came in the fourth quarter. he doesn't need a pass. all he needs is a lane to find the hoop. he posterizes d.j. white and the foul. he would miss the free throw. miami up 86-84. bobcats down two. gerald henderson knocks down the tres. 95-94. charlotte, the ensuing heat possession goes into the hands of one of the big three. dwyane wade. he's going to hit the jumper off the glass to put the heat up, 96-94. he only has ten points. but those two were the ones that counted the most because d.j. augustine missed a three-pointer. and white's putback misses. miami wins, 93-95. kevin durant and the undefeated thunder. russell westbrook finds the ramp for the sick reverse dunk. late in the fourth quarter, memphis down 92-88. and rudy gay is going to get the

baseline jumper to go for 19 points. the grizzlies down two. ensuing possession. under a minute to play. it's the two-time leading scorer with a fadeaway. he finished with 32 points. oklahoma city wins 98-95. off to a perfect start. miami, oklahoma city, nba final. i'm bernardo osuna, with your espn update. the usual holiday bowl was decidedly offensive last night. texas was taking on cal. and david ash became the fourth quarterback in holiday bowl history to catch a touchdown pass. texas tacked on another touchdown in the fourth quarter. and they win, 21-10. and a traditional dinner ate another bowl game site almost turned tragic. the team from oregon was enjoying its prime rib at the annual beef bowl ahead of the rose bowl game. dinner was on, when the father of a player started choking. so, oregon guard, mark ashford

came to the rescue. >> i didn't catch his name. but the universal help me signal. and one of them came over and tried to help him with the heimlich. he looked like he was struggling with it. i stood up and patted him on the back and said, if you don't know what you're doing, i do. i'm an eagle scout. >> he also said it was the first time he ever performed the heimlich. the team from wisconsin gets their turn at the prime rib tonight. >> wow. a pat on the back from that dude. instant healing right there. coming up next, the black lab rescued from a very tough spot. and what were they thinking? clergymen clash inside a sacred church. [ fe splenda® no calorie sweetener is sweet... and more. if you replace 3 tablespoons of sugar a day with splenda®, you'll save 100 calories a day. that could help you lose up to 10 pounds in a year. and now get even more with splenda® essentials,

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>> men behaving badly is the understatement on that story. >> i don't know what to say about that. >> i don't know if there is something you can say. now, to the reaches of fargo, north dakota, and the misadventures of jack the labrador. >> a fireman donned a camera and a rescue suit to pull jack out of the rigid waters of the red river. >> despite shivering from the cold, the owner doubts the dog learned the lesson. with friends like that, i guess you can afford to be a little careless. >> and he's a lab. they like exploring. next up, let's face it. we all wondered what happens to our luggage once we drop it off at the airline counter. >> of course. and now, delta airlines is giving us a behind-the-scenes look at its baggage operation. it's thanks to one bag outfitted with six cameras on its flight from atlanta to new york. >> the only thing we're not going to see is when the tsa performs their checks. pretty cool, nonetheless. for some of you, your local news is next.

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next, an all night vigil by firefighters after a hits two homes while the weather is gooding to -- is adding to their worries. meteorologist frances dinglasan wearing her two hats again today. >> look at this thick fog. there's a dense fog advisory for the san francisco and also the north bay valleys. details coming up. updating the day's top stories. newt gingrich's popularity in iowa is falling fast. the latest poll puts gingrich

behind mitt romney, ron paul and rick santorum. u.s. warning iran that i interference in a key oil shipping lane in the persian gulf will not be tall rated. tehran is threatening to close af the strait of hormuz. outraged moms descended on target stores across the country with nursing babies in hand. to show support for a texas mother who said she was bullied by target staffers for breast-feeding in the store. a look at weather. rain and snow from detroit to the dakotas. rain from billings and boise. and seattle to portland. and finally, the hidden costs of those free apps. one california family found out the hard way. >> yeah. free, indeed. reporter george warner of our sacramento station, shows us how easily it can happen. >> reporter: just before thanksgiving, 5-year-old zachary beagle fell in love with a free

iphone app called my town 2. like monopoly, players try to build a fortune. the problem is, players actually buy pretend money with real money. using in this case, his mother's debit card. and you can probably see where this is headed. >> if you want to buy money. >> reporte approved the single $1.99 purchase for a stack of virtual coins. how do you explain to a 5-year-old, the meaning of the word virtual. >> the next day, i cost my mom $500. >> he purchases one set of coins. and he's playing away. he's happy. everything's great. the next day, we start getting the bills. >> reporter: zachary wracked up nearly $500 in charges in a single day. after a brief talk with the apple app store, they did get

their money back. he explained to he earns his living as an expert trial witness in cyber crime. >> it's brilliant marketing. unfortunately, it's taking advantage of a lot of people that either don't have the skill set or the tenacity to go after and really understand what the problem is. >> reporter: except for this brief demonstration, zachary's no longer allowed to play my town 2. >> i know i'm not supposed to. >> reporter: and for christmas, santa claus delivered a very thoughtful gift to this family. zachy got a gaming device with no online access. >> interesting. you had a situation with this. >> i had the same situation. my son wracked up 60 bucks. >> my gosh. beware out there. free is not what it used to be. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> stay with us for "good morning america." >> stay with us for "good morning america." an closed captioning by closed captioning services,inc